


The Ellis Family Christmas

by Wowee_pals



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: A multitude of original characters, Christmas fic, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21964714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wowee_pals/pseuds/Wowee_pals
Summary: Thomas spends the holidays with Richard and his family.
Relationships: Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Comments: 6
Kudos: 142





	The Ellis Family Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I know for a lot of people this is published after Christmas, but it's still the 25th where I am, so time zones can suck it. Sorry for any errors in both grammar and formatting, it was written without looking back and I haven't posted on AO3 in a while. (It should also be known that I don't know how to use British terminology, so I apologize if anything is incorrect.)
> 
> Edit: Thank you to Romantika for correcting some of my non-Britishisms. I really appreciate it!

“If you truly don’t want this, we can leave, but please, try and have a good time.”

“Right, right, it’ll be splendid. Just lovely.”

The two men stand just outside the snowy yard, neither wanting to head inside just yet. While the cold is biting and the sunshine reflected off of the snow is a little too bright, they both know that once they cross the threshold, the madness will begin. (Those were Richard’s words, and Thomas had no doubt that the holidays were chaotic, especially given how close the Ellis family was to each other.)

Not that they’ll have to hide—not at all, in fact. Prior to their arrival, Richard had reassured Thomas several times that they could be open about their relationship. But two problems arose.

The first being that everybody had a limit, and Thomas didn’t want to test Richard’s family when they’d been kind enough to invite him over for the holidays by being too open in front of them. Being able to be honest and open at all was a blessing, and after being circumspect with Richard for so long, to have somewhere they could be safe and surrounded by love and care wasn’t something Thomas wanted to screw up.

And the other thing: Richard’s parents hadn’t even met Thomas yet, and invited him to their home because he was “to be part of the family.”  
(If Thomas got a little choked up upon reading that in the letter that Richard’s mother had sent him, he won’t admit it to anybody.)  
But Richard would have to introduce him to everyone in the family, and from there he’ll have to explain why Thomas is there at all, and God knows Thomas’ mind will go blank if he has to tell anyone who he is to Richard himself.

“At least act like you want to be here,” Richard says.

“I do want to be here,” Thomas replies, “I’m…nervous, that’s all.”

“Never thought I’d see the day you’d admit that.”

“I’m full of surprises, aren’t I?”

Richard smiles that soft, all-lip smile of his, the one that makes his eyes shine and Thomas’ heart skip a beat. He takes Thomas’ hands in his.

“They’ll love you,” he reassures, “And even if they don’t, they certainly won’t make a fuss on Christmas.”

Technically, it isn’t Christmas Day. It isn’t even Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, it’s the 28th, but it’s the only day that the two of them—plus Richard’s other relatives—could get time off for. (Well, that and half of the 27th, which they managed to snag by some miracle, and made full use of together. They’d be leaving early on the 29th, and while the happy couple would’ve loved to spend New Year’s Eve together, they took what they could get.) It felt odd saying “Happy Christmas” when they knew full well Christmas had already passed.

Thomas nods and squeezes Richard’s hands. “Thank you. For inviting me into your life like this.”

“Don’t get too sentimental just yet, there’s still a whole day ahead of us,” Richard leans in a little bit closer. “But you’re a part of my life now. That means I don’t have to invite you into anything, I trust that you’ll want to be there and eventually, it’ll become your life, too.”

Thomas smiles bashfully as Richard presses a light kiss to his cheek.

“Alright then, Mr. Ellis. Why don’t we head inside, it’s freezing out here.”

They walk up to the front door of the cottage, a sign reading “Ellis” hanging next to the door. Richard gives Thomas one last glance, making sure he’s comfortable with this, before knocking on the door.

A woman with graying hair opens it, letting out a gasp at the sight of the two men. She grins and extends her arms for a hug.

“Dicky!” She cries, “It’s so good to see you!”

“Hi, mum,” Richard says, giving the woman a quick squeeze before pulling back. Thomas doesn’t quite know what to do. Should he bring attention to himself? Just say hello? Before he can figure it out, the woman turns to him. She gives him a quick once-over.

“You must be Thomas.”

"Nice to finally meet you, ma’am,” Thomas manages to say as kind and level headed as he possibly can. He extends his hand to shake, much to Mrs. Ellis’ amusement.  


She shakes his hand and looks back at Richard. “He’s very polite.”

“Mum, please-”

Mrs. Ellis ushers them through the door, going on about how happy she was to see them. Richard slips off his coat hangs it on a rack. Thomas does the same and leans close to Richard as they follow Mrs. Ellis.

“So, ‘Dicky,’ huh?”

“It’s my family nickname, please don’t let that leave the house.”

“Oh, I’m never letting you live it down.”  


“I was afraid you’d say that.”  


Mrs. Ellis leads them to the sitting room, where a large Christmas tree stands in the corner, gifts lining the ground below it. Thomas and Richard left their gifts for everyone back in the car, electing to greet everybody first before bringing their things in. Christmas decorations covered the room, from candles surrounded by tiny wreaths and flowers sitting above the fireplace, to a bit of mistletoe hanging off of a doorway.  


An older man (who Thomas assumes to be Mr. Ellis) is making conversation with another man, who looks to be around Thomas and Richard’s age, maybe a bit younger. They look over as Mrs. Ellis enters the room.  


“Richard, you finally made it,” the middle-aged man says, getting up from his chair. “Happy Christmas, mate.”  


“Happy Christmas, Sammy,” Richard claps him on the shoulder in greeting. “Ah, Thomas, this is Samuel Carter, my brother-in-law. And Sammy, this is Thomas.”  


Richard doesn’t say “my boyfriend, Thomas,” but he leaves room for Samuel to draw his own conclusions. Samuel smiles at Thomas and doesn’t make a single judgment or snide comment, and for that—considering how Richard said the in-laws were the only ones to worry about, just in case they weren’t filled in on the “situation”—they are relieved.  


Relieved that someone is a decent human being. Thomas hates that that’s how low the bar is, but he’s only seen it so many times. But it’s two for two with the Ellis family so far, and Thomas couldn’t be any more elated.  


“Nice to meet you, Thomas.”  


“Likewise.”  


Richard greets his father with a hello and a hand to the shoulder. Mr. Ellis grins at his son and says something to make Richard laugh, but all Thomas can focus on is trying not to look nervous. Mr. Ellis turns towards him.  


“So you’re Thomas?” He asks.  


“That’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Thomas shakes his hand, because he’s polite, as Mrs. Ellis noted, and he so desperately wants to make a good impression on both of Richard’s parents.  


“Heard a lot about you.”  


“Only good things, I hope.” Thomas jokes.  


Mr. Ellis smiles. “Richard makes you sound like a saint, I haven’t heard a bad word against you. He always goes on and on about how wonderful you are.”  


Richard smiles at the floor and tries to change the subject. “Where’s everybody else?”  


“Audrey and the kids were helping your mother out with some of the baking,” Samuel says. “And Nathan and Caroline won’t get here until later.”  


“Uncle Richard!” a shrill voice cries. Thomas looks over and sees three small children running towards Richard, who brightens up and kneels down to embrace them.  


“Good to see you guys again, look how much you’ve all grown!” he says, “How have you been?”  


All three kids start talking at once, clinging to Richard as they animatedly jump from subject to subject. Thomas chuckles at the sight of Richard smiling brightly at the kids and pretending to listen, reveling in the softness of it all.  


One of the children, the only girl out of the three, stops and looks at Thomas. “Who’s this?”  


Richard stands up and softly places his hand on Thomas’ arm. “This is Thomas. He’s with me.”  


He introduces the children as Elijah, Lilly, and Nicholas. Lilly’s messy brown hair and skeptical glance at Thomas reminds him of Sybbie, which makes him smile. He kneels down to look at her properly.  


“It’s nice to meet you, Lilly. I hope you don’t mind me staying with all of you for Christmas.”  


Lilly shakes her head. “I don’t mind. Grandma was telling us how happy Uncle Richard is that you’re here with us, and I like seeing Uncle Richard happy.”  


“Alright, Lilly, that’s enough of that,” Richard says, “where’s your mother? I want to say hello.”  


The kids drag Richard off through a doorway to the kitchen, where a woman is kneading dough on the counter. She looks up with a smile.  


“Hey Dicky,” she says, wiping her flour-covered hands on a rag and coming over for a hug. “My, look who you brought along…”  


“Don’t start, the others are already being puckish about it.”  


“I’m Audrey, Richard’s little sister.”  


Thomas decides to introduce himself for once. “Thomas Barrow. I’m uh…” He trails off, not sure how to finish that sentence. When Richard was introducing him it was so easy. Then again, Richard knows everyone here already, and Thomas knows damn well that he’ll mix up everybody’s names by the time Christmas dinner rolls around. He’s not nearly as comfortable.  


Audrey leans in slightly. She lowers her voice, not to hide what she’s saying, but to speak directly to Thomas. “I know, and we’re all so happy you’re here.”  


Thomas could cry right now, he really could.  


Eventually, he’s dragged back to the sitting room where everyone wants to hear from him (given that he’s the newest edition to their Christmas) and sat down in a chair.  


“So where do you work, Thomas? Dicky mentioned you were in service.” Mrs. Ellis says.  


“Over in Yorkshire, at Downton.”  


“He’s the butler there.” Richard adds. _That_ piques everyone’s interest.  


“The butler?” Samuel asks in disbelief. “But you’re so young.”  


Thomas chuckles, flattered. “The old butler had to retire early, I was the perfect replacement,” he’s tempted to explain how the last butler will always be brought back whenever something important happens so Thomas will never really get the chance to prove himself, but he hasn’t known any of these people for very long, and so he puts the thought aside.  


Mrs. Ellis nudges her son, who’s sitting on the sofa next to her. “That’s a very impressive title, there.”  


Thomas catches the light blush of embarrassment on Richard’s cheeks and adds, “Well it’s hardly a Royal Dresser.”  


And on that note, Mrs. Ellis starts going on and on about “how proud we are of him, working for _his majesty_ ” and Thomas knows very well that Richard doesn’t care much for the monarchy, but it gives him a job, a great job at that, so he hardly ever brings it up, but Thomas knows.  


Richard’s face reddens at the praise. Thomas thinks it’s adorable.

“I’m happy to see that you’re getting along with everyone,” Richard says. They’re in the kitchen, helping Mrs. Ellis with dinner preparations. Thomas was on vegetable-chopping duty, while Richard was busy mixing god knows what. (Cooking had never been Thomas’ forte; he only needed to know which dish was which and what spoon went with it, why bother with how it’s made? Richard didn’t fare much better, but he knew his mother’s cooking at least, and she trusted him enough to stir, even if he didn’t know exactly what he was stirring.)  


“They’re lovely people,” Thomas says. “I’m glad we’re here.”  


Richard smiles and presses a kiss to his forehead when Mrs. Ellis’ back is turned.  


“I told you, they love you,” he whispers. “As do I.”  


“What happened to not being too sentimental?”  


“I gave up on that. Too nice having you here.”  


Thomas hums and touches his lips to Richard’s. The kiss is quick and feather-light, but it’s there and it’s enough.  


A knock on the door rings through the house. Mrs. Ellis sets down what she’s working on to answer it. Her voice can be heard among others, most of which sound new. Richard peeks out of the doorway and grins.  


“Who is it?” Thomas asks.  


“My older brother, Nathan.”  


Richard makes his way to the sitting room, where Thomas follows. A tall man with brown curls stands next to a woman whose blonde hair is pulled back into a bun. The woman is holding the hand of a young girl. Bouncing at their heels are three other children.  


Well, Richard did warn him that his family was rather large.  


“Richard!” The man, who must be Nathan, pulls Richard close and ruffles his hair.  


“Hi Nathan, it’s been a while.”  


“You can say that again.”  


“And Caroline, hello, you look lovely.”  


“Oh, stop it.”  


Nathan leans down by his kids. “Say hello to your grandparents, then you can go find your cousins.” The children quickly greet Mr. and Mrs. Ellis before running off in search of the others, disregarding anyone else.  


“So, Nathan, this is Thomas.” Richard says, gesturing for Thomas to come closer. He obliges, giving a smile and a nod to the couple in front of them.  


Nathan looks confused. “Thomas?” He looks between them for a second before recognition kicks in. “Oh, it-oh! _Thomas_ Thomas. He…right, yes.”  


He shakes Thomas’ hand, and Thomas swears that if he has to shake anyone else’s hand today he’s going to lose it, but he’s pretty sure that this is everyone.  


“How are the kids?” Richard asks, already changing the topic.  


“Oh, wonderful, all of them. Youngest is so big now, it’s madness.”  


And just like that, the conversation starts to flow naturally. Thomas has to repeat most of the basics (I work at Downton, we met during the Royal Tour last year, no, I haven’t been to York much, there isn’t much here, etc.)  


The more he talks with the family and listens, the more it feels like he belongs, and as foreign of a concept as that is, he welcomes it with open arms.

The day goes on. Everyone mostly holds small talk, the occasional bit of gossip coming up every now and then. Cards are played, odd jobs are completed, and eventually, once the sun goes down, drinks are had.  


“Alright everyone, dinner’s ready!” Mrs. Ellis calls, beckoning everyone to the dining room, where all of the food is spread out along a large dining table. It’s not nearly as grand as what Thomas and Richard are used to, but it has more heart to it, and that’s what matters more. They take their seats next to each other in the middle, loading up their plates alongside everyone else.  


The others start eating right away, much to Thomas’ surprise. He doesn’t mind that they didn’t say grace, not in the slightest, but he’s taken aback by it regardless. The family really does throw tradition to the wind, and Thomas loves them all the more for it.  


He feels a light squeeze on his hand, and looks down to see that Richard has pressed their palms together under the table.  


“Awfully daring, aren’t we?” Thomas mumbles, just loud enough for Richard to hear him.  


“It’s perfectly innocent, darling, I doubt anyone will notice.”  


They sit there like that for a little while, hands conjoined where no one can see them. Richard uses the improper hand to eat in order to pull it off, but no one notices. (Or if they do, they don’t bring attention to it.)  


The food is delicious, and Thomas gives Mrs. Ellis his compliments. She makes another comment about how polite he is, and he takes it in stride. Yes, he is polite, he’s an absolute delight to be around, and he’s so glad that he’s found people he can be so kind to. He’s become much nicer at Downton, yes, and he gets along with everyone, but he’s had his walls up at Downton more often than down. Here, he feels there’s no need for walls. He can be as kind hearted as he wants, there’s nothing for him to hide.  


When dinner is finished, both Thomas and Richard attempt to help clean the table, but Mr. and Mrs. Ellis shoo them away.  


“It’s the least we can do, ma’am.” Thomas says. Mrs. Ellis won’t hear it.  


"No, no, why don’t you and Dicky get your presents from the car, we’ll be opening them as soon as we’re all cleaned up.”  


And so, they make their way out to the car. As soon as they step out into the snow, Thomas wants to go back inside. Their car is just outside, so at least it’s a short walk.  


“Thomas, hang on a moment.” Richard says, pulling him aside, out of sight of the windows and lamps outside the house.  
Before Thomas can question what’s happening, Richard places one hand on Thomas’ cheek—gently, always so gentle with him—and pushes him against the wall. Their lips crash together, and Thomas melts. He throws an arm around Richard’s neck and kisses back, pulling each other closer, and he swears he feels the other man’s heart beating in time with his.  


They break apart after a moment and rest their foreheads together.  


“What was that about?” Thomas asks, blissfully.  


Richard runs his thumb over Thomas’ lips. “Do I need a reason?”  


“Rather sudden, is all.”  


“Well I always want to kiss you, just can’t in there. Couldn’t stand to be apart for so long, love.”  


“You said that we could be somewhat affectionate here. You’ve been pretty circumspect all of today.”  


“We can, but I doubt my parents would appreciate us snogging under the mistletoe.”  


Thomas kisses Richard again. For a split-second, he panics about someone catching them, but no one in the house could possibly see them, and the cottage is out in the country, no one around to break them apart.  


It takes a lot longer to get their gifts than it should.  


When they do make it back inside, everyone is gathered in the sitting room, eagerly anticipating the presents and continuing their conversations from dinner. The children are practically buzzing with excitement as they place the final presents under the tree.  


Richard takes the last open chair, and while Thomas can easily sit on the floor next to him, he realizes that he can’t stand being apart either. He sets his weight against Richard’s armrest, not quite sitting down, just in case anyone in the room seems off-put. Richard doesn’t bother reading the room, however, and snakes an arm around Thomas’ waist, pulling him in closer.  


One of the children, Elijah, Thomas believed it was, helps their father pass out gifts from under the tree. Gifts went around and around, torn open and squealed over. Thomas is given a small package about the size of his hand. He slides the wrapping off and opens the box to reveal a shiny silver object inside. Thomas thought it was another pendant at first.  


Richard grins, “That’s from me.” He anxiously watches as Thomas picks the silver up, looking at it from all angles. “I know I shouldn’t be enabling you, but I saw a store offering engravings, and I figured it’d be nice.”  


It was a lighter, bearing the words:  


_To my darling, Thomas  
In my heart, always.  
Love, R._  


Richard bit his lip as Thomas ran his thumb over the tiny letters. “Do you like it?”  


Thomas smiles and locks eyes with the other man. “I love it.” He takes Richard’s hand in his as the latter breathes a sigh of relief.  


After a few more minutes, Elijah handed Richard another gift, a skinny box that was nearly the size of his forearm.  


Thomas leans in to whisper in his ear. “And this one’s mine.” On that note, Richard carefully undoes the packaging, setting the wrapping aside like it was the fine clothing their employers donned. Inside lies a wristwatch, set carefully on tissue that puffed up when the box was opened.  


A fine leather band rests on either side of the face, whose glass was clear and silver backing polished. Richard holds it in his hand, admiring the beauty of it.  


Thomas relishes in Richard’s wonder. “Saw it in a window one day. Didn’t work, apparently, but I fixed it up nice.”  


Richard looks at him, surprised. “You fixed this?”  


“I did. It was a piece of work, but I did it.”  


“Oh, Thomas, this is wonderful!” He pulls his lover down to kiss his cheek, pulling away with a grin. “I’ll wear it every chance I get.”  


He fastens it around his wrist and holds it out to show it off.  


When all the gifts have been opened, and the little desserts are set on trays for anyone to grab, it becomes social hour once again. Richard’s parents pull him away at some point, leaving Thomas by himself.  


Before he can feel lonely, Lilly and her siblings walk up to him and whisper to each other for a second. Then Lilly steps up and asks if he can help them read some of the picture books they received.  


“Of course,” he says, because he’s so touched that they would want him there and he can’t deny them anything.  


Over by his parents, Richard half-listens to them speak while he scans the room for Thomas.  


The man in question looks up from the story he’s reading and meets Richard’s eyes from across the room. They both stare for just a second, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type moment that to them, feels like hours gazing longingly into each other's eyes and even though they’ve done this countless times whenever they’re away from each other in a crowded room, every single time it fills their hearts with pure joy and adoration and love, before Thomas smiles at Richard, and in that moment, Richard feels like he’s about to cry over how smitten he is with that man.  


Thomas quickly pulls himself out of the shared reverie and goes back to helping the kids read their picture books, and Richard knows right then and there that Thomas is the one for him. He knew this already, but all of this, having him there with his family and feeling so at home and relaxed, confirmed it. He sips at his drink, unable to hide his smile behind his glass.  


One of the children laughs with Thomas. A pang of sadness echoes in his chest, knowing that they’ll never have kids of their own to care for, but the thought of Thomas’ smile and the knowledge that they’ll be ok so long as they’re together makes everything better. Not gone entirely, but better.  


“I like him,” Mrs. Ellis says. Richard turns back to her, confused. She points to Thomas. Richard chuckles to himself.  


“I do too.”

Audrey approaches Thomas as he’s filling his drink, looking as warm and inviting as ever. “How are you feeling? Everyone’s been cornering you all night.”  


“I don’t particularly mind. You’ve all been so kind to me, letting me into your home like this. Can’t say I’m used to it.”  


“Well get used to it. I think you’re here to stay.”  


Thomas suppresses a smile. “How much did Richard talk about me before I arrived, exactly?”  


Audrey laughs. “Enough. One night, he mentioned that he found someone to mum and dad, and they were so happy for him, especially mum. They just want him to be happy, you know? They don’t mind who he’s in love with, just that he keeps himself safe. I think on his next visit they brought you up again, and apparently he had a few drinks in him and kept gushing about you. Soppy stuff, really. When I came to visit a few days later, mum told me all about how Richard had someone special in his life, and that she already sent you an invitation to join us at Christmas.”  


“Well I hope I’ve lived up to your expectations.”  


“Oh, you have,” She pours herself a glass of wine and raises it. “Welcome to the family, Thomas.”  


Thomas’ breath catches in his throat and it takes a second for what she said to sink in. He smiles. “Thank you.”  


Thomas eventually rejoins Richard, who was being swarmed by his nieces and nephews. They were holding a book out to him. It wasn’t one of the picture books from earlier; it looked older, like its pages had been turned through and cared for for years.  


They’re awfully keen on reading, Thomas thinks, but then again, most little kids are.  


“Why don’t we have Granddad read it, huh?” Richard says, “I’m sure he’d love to.”  


“We want you to read it!”  


“I read it last year.”  


“Uncle Nathan read it last year, you read it two years ago.”  


“Please?” They all look up at him with pleading eyes, and God, he and Thomas are too similar because he can never say no to them.  


He sighs. “Alright, alright.”  


“What’s all this?” Thomas asks.  


Richard holds up the book so Thomas can read the cover. “The Pickwick Papers, chapter twenty-eight is called 'A Good-Humored Christmas Chapter.' Someone reads it every year. Family tradition.”  


“And you’re stuck with it?”  


“I’m only sorry you have to listen to it.”  


“It won’t be that bad. I like the sound of your voice.”  


Richard smiles at the ground. All it takes is a compliment from the other and they get flustered. "Better than caroling, I suppose. I don't think you'd like my singing voice much."  


He sits down in an armchair. “Ok everyone, story time,” he announces. The children excitedly gather on the floor in front of him.  


“You lot don’t have to listen,” he says, looking at all of the adults in the room who quieted down.  


Mrs. Ellis waves her hand. “Oh, nonsense.”  


Richard sighs again and looks to Thomas. He gives him a thumbs-up as encouragement. With that, Richard begins:  


“As brisk as bees, if not altogether as light as fairies...”

“Are you sure you won’t be able to come by in the morning?” Mr. Ellis asks, “We’d love to see you off.”  


“Wish we could,” Richard says. “But I wouldn’t count on it. Train heads out awfully early.”  


“Well it was nice to have you come by again.”  


Richard gives his father a hug goodbye, and leans down so his mother can give him a peck on the cheek. Thomas says goodbye to Richard’s siblings and wishes them a happy new year. They wave, saying that they hope they’ll meet again before next Christmas, and Thomas hadn’t yet thought about coming back next year but he’s delighted that they want him to.  


“Thomas, it was lovely to meet you,” Mrs. Ellis says. She hands him one last package. It’s only wrapped with thin tissue that he tears through in a second, but he’s grateful nonetheless.  


It’s a leather-bound notebook, with a crescent moon etched into the lower right-hand corner. Thomas can’t help but smile, and he can feel himself tearing up, but if he cries now, he'll look pathetic. He'll save the tears for when the second time around.  


“Dicky has always loved these,” Mrs. Ellis says. “Thought we’d get one for you, too. He suggested the design there.”  


“Thank you, Mrs. Ellis, both of you, really. You’re too kind.”  


“Oh, hush.” Mrs. Ellis brings him in for a kiss on the cheek. He nods at Mr. Ellis, who nods back.  


They step inside the car, and drive away, watching the cottage disappear in the distance. It’s sad to leave, but if they want any time to themselves and still be able to make their train on time, they have to go.  


When they make it back to their hotel, they’re both exhausted and giddy from the day, which sends them into giggling fits as they kiss as though they haven’t been sneaking kisses wherever they could all day. Inevitably, the exhaustion seeps in, and Thomas curls up against Richard’s side in bed, his head resting on his chest.  


Richard’s arms wraps around him. “I do hope you enjoyed today.”  


“Oh, believe me, I did. I felt like...I belonged. I always feel that with you, but it was so strong today, I thought I might break down in the middle of your celebrations.”  


“I’m glad you didn’t. My mum would have been even more hospitable, and I don’t think either of us could deal with that.” Thomas laughs. It’s a lovely sound. Richard turns and kisses the top of Thomas’ head.  


“Happy Christmas, my love.”  


“Happy Christmas, _Dicky_.”  


Richard scowls as Thomas laughs again. He closes his eyes and presses closer to the man he loves. He falls asleep, trying to recall a holiday that had ever been so carefree and joyful, but finds that he can’t.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on tumblr @wowee-pals  
> Happy Holidays!


End file.
